Car plummets off Hwy. 24 and into Walnut Creek yoga studio

Two people were hospitalized after a BMW, which hit speeds of more than 90 mph during a police chase that was terminated, careened off Highway 24 in Walnut Creek, struck a tree and went airborne before landing on its roof and sliding through the wall of a yoga studio, officials said Thursday morning.

The California Highway Patrol responded to the incident just before midnight Thursday, said Officer Jonathan Fransen, a spokesman for the agency.

The BMW was trying to take the Mount Diablo Boulevard off-ramp from eastbound Highway 24, when it veered from the road, struck a redwood tree, went airborne over a hillside and crashed through a 6-foot high chain-link fence before landing on its roof and skidding into a building at Boulevard Circle, Fransen said.

The car crashed into Just Be Yoga Studio’s secondary space. The company’s main yoga studio is located nearby, but was not impacted and remained open Thursday, according to the studio.

The driver sustained minor to moderate injuries and his female passenger suffered major injuries. Both were taken to a hospital, Fransen said.

The black BMW had earlier been fleeing from Lafayette police, according to Jimmy Lee, a spokesman for the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office. Police began pursuing the car after spotting it going around 90 mph on Highway 24 near the Oak Hill Road exit, he said.

“The driver began weaving between cars and went even faster. The officer activated the overhead emergency lights on his police car in an attempt to stop the vehicle. The BMW did not yield and accelerated away at a faster speed,” he said.

The chase was called off “due to the speeds and the officer lost sight of the BMW,” according to Lee. Several minutes later, police learned of the crash, they said.